{"id":26983,"date":"2019-12-19T20:40:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T15:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vwo.com\/blog\/?p=26983"},"modified":"2025-12-12T14:31:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T09:01:24","slug":"increase-travel-website-bookings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vwo.com\/blog\/increase-travel-website-bookings\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Actionable Steps That Will Help You Increase Your Travel Website Bookings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do visitors land on your travel website, search for flights and accommodation, and then just leave without completing the booking\u2014almost on a whim? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your answer is yes for some or many of your visitors, it\u2019s time to optimize your website<\/a> for customer centricity, web crawlers<\/a>, and increased conversion rate<\/a>, as SEO and CRO go hand-in-hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel eCommerce is one of the trickiest online businesses. Lengthy marketing funnels, complex search parameters, complicated checkout processes, multiple forms, and massive personalization, are all part of the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download Free: Grow Website Traffic Guide<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Djoser is a major Dutch travel agency that optimized its website conversions by running A\/B tests for 7 weeks and achieved a 33% hike in their online travel bookings<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, you can always optimize your website by analyzing visitor behavior and running iterative A\/B tests<\/a> to understand your visitors well, thereby converting them into customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are some best actionable tips you can implement to increase online bookings.<\/p>\n\n\n

1) Make your \u2018site search\u2019 smart and simple<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
\"how
Image source: Priceline<\/a>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The search function is a critical element for travel websites as compared to other industries. Visitors in this domain typically operate in the \u2018browsing and finding\u2019 mode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your visitors reach your site\u2019s homepage through different channels such as search engine results pages, social media, and online ads. Only when a visitor selects a location and a date, will s\/he find relevant results to make a choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip!<\/strong>

A\/B test your site for predictive search and auto-completion using VWO’s server-side testing capabilities. With zero performance impact and deep segmentation flexibility, you can build consistent, higher-performing experiences.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Help visitors choose<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time, the results page of a search engine is full of hotels or flights and in some cases destinations, if s\/he is planning a vacation, which most visitors haven\u2019t used or explored before. Naturally, it is difficult for them to choose one from the lot. This is where you should help your prospects select the best deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us understand this with an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Destination<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In a world where everything is accessible at the click of a button, travel websites also need to understand that their visitors also want instant results to their queries. MakeMyTrip.com is a travel industry giant in India that offers vacation packages besides its popular flight and hotel booking business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When meandering, confused visitors get a well-curated list of such packages in their budget with beautiful and catchy visuals, day plans, and itineraries. With this in place, MakeMyTrip (MMT) instantly relieves them of their pain points. Such services can not only save a lot of time and energy for your visitors but also encourage them to trust you and form a long-lasting bond with your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"example
An example of a vacation package.
Image source: MakeMyTrip<\/a>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\"a
An example of a detailed itinerary.
Image source: MakeMyTrip.com
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pricing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, display your prices prominently. Price is one of the key criteria on which most visitors make their choice. When the price for different service providers is placed without a clear distinction on the results page, the usability of the website suffers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can reduce the friction by proposing the one you intend to sell. Therefore, always A\/B test your pricing page<\/a> for multiple pricing options and decoy visitors towards your bestseller for enhancing your revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Blog<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TravelPass Group which serves its B2C customers by helping them book hotel rooms and its B2B customers with hotel bookings, travel agencies etc., doubled their conversions within the span of a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were able to achieve their conversion goals only by becoming customer-centric. By focusing their efforts on specific elements in the mind of the users, they isolated the types of tests they would run which eventually helped them identify the problem areas, such as placement of a phone call CTA and design in general. Through iterative testing for desktop and mobile interfaces<\/a> over a year they improved their conversions by working aggressively on their design<\/a> which looked as shown below in the control and variation, respectively:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Travelpass
Control<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Travelpass
Variation
Image source: marketingsherpa<\/a>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Discount<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Also, when you\u2019re offering a discount on a service, mentioning it only in terms of percentage might prove useless to some visitors. It\u2019s always a better option to display the new or discounted price of the service below or after the original price, and the savings which they would make if they choose it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\/B test to find the best discount format\/style you can offer<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"the
Image sources: MakeMyTrip.com
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reviews and ratings<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Showing reviews and ratings on your website can be the cherry on top of the cake. Adding them can significantly work towards improving the chances of more conversions on your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because in today\u2019s day and age most individuals trust peer recommendations more than they trust advertising. This is one reason why travel websites like MMT heavily advocate the use of reviews and ratings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"verified
Image source: MakeMyTrip.com
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You have to get your visitors\u2019 attention fast and make them act right away in order to score transactions. One of the ways to do so is by using the principles of persuasion\u2014creating a sense of urgency and scarcity in the minds of individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employ urgency<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Urgency is when you ask prospects and customers to act quickly in order to receive an incentive. Many travel industry giants such as Booking, Makemytrip, etc., have been effectively using this strategy to increase their conversions<\/a>. Learn from them and employ the same strategies on your travel website to reap maximum benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Offer special deals with discounts or incentives to users for a limited period. The incentives that can only be redeemed in a specific time range will push users to buy it before the deal ends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, you can also display the number of people viewing a particular listing on the results page to instill urgency among visitors. Such a technique not only increases the listing\u2019s perceived popularity but urges individuals to act fast and grab the deal before someone else does. Here\u2019s how Agoda.com does it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"how
Image source: Agoda<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Use scarcity<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Last few tickets available at a discounted price,\u2019 \u2018Book now to get a free hotel upgrade,\u2019 \u2018Book in the next one hour to get free wine on arrival,\u2019 \u2018Get complimentary breakfast if booked in the next 30 minutes.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are endless ways to generate urgency and dissuade visitors from going on a website-hopping spree. However, be reasonable and don\u2019t make a promise you can\u2019t keep because that will just tarnish your reputation. Booking.com constantly updates its booking status to create a sense of scarcity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"how
Image source: Agoda.com
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Booking form<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Form optimization is equally important in your conversion funnel. UK-based travel company Flying Scott increased form submissions by a substantial 35% by testing form fields. When visitors have done all the research and chosen a flight, hotel, or holiday package, you don\u2019t want them to abandon the booking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are a few ways you can optimize your forms: <\/p>\n\n\n\n